Blasting fuse and cap.



W. E. INGRAM.

BLASTING FUSE AND CAP.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 28, 1911.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

R w m V N F W w \\\N u \N\ 16 w WITNESSES 7 WESLEY r. INGRAM, or AUSTIN, NEVADA.

BLAS'IING-FUSE AND GAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912-.

Application filed. July 28, 1911. Serial No. 641,039.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WESLEY E. INGRAM, citizen of the United States, residing at Austin, in the county of Lander and State.

of Nevada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Blasting-Fuses and Caps, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention has to do with blasting fuses and caps therefor.

One of the objects of the invention is to so combine the fuse and cap as to assure the passage of an adequate quantity of fire from the interior of the former to the explosive contained in the latter..

Another object is to provide such means for affixing the cap on the fuse that there is no liability of the fire being choked in the major portion of the fuse incidental to the passage of the fire toward the explosive in the cap.

Another object is to so combine the fuse and cap that moisture or dampness is effectually excluded from the exposed powder at the vent of the fuse and also from the explo-. sive in the cap.

Another object is the provision of a cap as an article of manufacture and applicable to a fuse at the time or place of use; the said cap being provided with a char e of explosive and with a soft and combustible covering over the explosive which soft and combustible covering will protect the explosive against moisture, and will also serve when. the fuse is placed in the cap to seal the open end of the cap and the vent in the fuse.

, With the foregoing in mind, the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forming part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, on a large scale, illustrative of the properly combined fuse and cap. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the same. Fig. 3 is a trans verse section through fuse and cap. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section showing a cap of modified shape. Fig. 5 is a plan of the open end of said cap.

Referring by letter to.the said drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 13 thereof: A is the fuse, and B the cap of my improvement. In general the fuse may be of the ordinary construction or any other construction consonant with the purpose of my invention. It is bent as shown to provide a stub port-ion a about three inches long, disposed parallel to its major portion b, and has formed at or adjacent the apex of its bend a cut or slit constituting a vent c, which vent extends from the exterior of the fuse to the powder center thereof, Fig. 2.

The cap B is preferably, though not necessarily,of copper, and may be of any suitable shape, and may be affixed upon the bent portion of the fuse in any suitable manner without involving departure from the scope of my claimed invention. It will be noticed here-that it is essential to so shape the portion of the cap adjacent the open end thereof as to adapt it to receive the bend of the fuse; the preferable shape being in general oblong as will be seen by reference to Fig. 3. That portion of the cap adjacent the closed end thereof may, however, be of any suitable shape in dross-section-z'. e., may be shaped as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or reduced as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, or may be made of any other form and comparative size in the discretion of the manufaoturer of the cap.

In the portion of the cap adjacent the closed end thereof is placed an explosive or explosive mixture C, which may be of the character atprescnt common in the art or of any other suitable character without affectmg my invention, and interposed between the said explosive G and the fuse is a'body D, of grease, tar or equivalent combustible material. Grease or tar is preferably employed for the body D because it is not only combustible but soft. In consequence of this, when the grease or tar is applied to the bent portion of the fuse, and said bent portion is then inserted in the cap, the excess portion of grease and tar will be squeezed into and fully occupy the space between the fuse and the cap and will effectually seal the open end of the latter so as to preclude the entrance of moisture and dampness, and will also seal the vital point of the fuse namely the vent 0. Both of the functions stated will also be served by the grease or tar or other suitable soft and combustible material D when such is placed in the cap and over the explosive C when the cap is placed on the inarket'as an article of manufacture ready to receive the bent portion of the fuse.

Th capmay be merely slipped on the bent portion of the fuse or may be affixed thereon in any suitable manner without afiecting my invention. I prefer, however, to afiix the cap by crimping 1t at d on the stub portion of the fuse, this being advantageous since it does not entail contraction of the long major portion 7) of the fuse and the attendant danger of choking the fire in the'fuse while p such fire 1s en route toward the explosive in the cap.

Inthe practical use of the fuse and cap,

when the end of the long major portion b of the fuse is ignited, the fire travels in the fuse in the direction indicated by arrow; Such fire does not stop when it reaches the vent 0 but continues up the stub portion a, with the result that the fire from said stub portion (1 passes freely through the vent 0. The discharge of fire from the stub portion a is suihcient at all times to burn through the body D of tar or grease and ignite the explosive C, and from this it follows that the combination of fuse and cap is reliable and efiicient in operation which are desideraturns in the blasting art.

The placing of a body D of tar, grease or analogous material that remains soft in the cap and on the explosive before the cap is sent as an'article of manufacture from the factory is advantageous because of conven.

at the time ience to the consumer, he having of use to simply bend and slit or cut the fuse and place the bent portion thereof in the cap.' I.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent,

1. The combinationof a fuse shaped to form a looped stub portion and having a vent, a cap receiving the loop portion and I vent of the fuse, and explosive disposed in the cap and adapted to be ignited by fire from the fuse.

2. The combination of a, fuse shaped to form a looped stub portion and having a vent, a cap receiving the loop portion and vent of the fuse; sai cap being open atone end, explosive disposed in the cap and adapted to be ignited by fire from the fuse, and means sealing the open end of the cap and the vent in the fuseand adapted to transmit fire from said vent to the explosive p 3. The combination of a fuse shaped to form a looped stub portion and having a vent, a cap receiving the loop portion and ventof the fuse; said cap belng open at one end, explosive disposed in the cap and adapted to be ignited by fire from the fuse, and material that is soft and combustible interosed between the explosiveand the fuse and sealing the open end of the cap and the vent in the fuse.

4. The combination of a fuse shaped to form a looped stub portion and having a vent, a cap receiving the loop portion and vent of the fuse and crimped on-the stub portion only of the fuse, and explosive disposed in' the cap and adapted tojbe ignited by fire from the fuse.

5. As a new' article of manufacture, a fuse cap open at one end and containing an explosive and a. protective body covering the explosive and arranged between the same and the open end of the cap and in communication with said open end; the said protective body being composed of a substance that is combustible and is also soft, whereby when the cap is applied to a fuse the excess portion of the soft and combustible substance will be squeezed into and fully occupy 'the space between the cap and the fuse to se the open end of the former.

6. The combination of a fuse shaped to form a looped stub portionthat lies parallel to its major portion and having a vent, and

a cap containing explosive and having a mouth pQIiZ1OI1, Oi oblong form in cross section, receiving the loop portion and vent of the fuse. 1 Y

7. The combination of a fuse shaped to form a looped stub portion that lies parallel to its major portion and having a vent, a.

cap having a mouth portion, of oblong form.

in cross-section, receiving the loop portion and vent of thefuse, explosive contained in A the cap, and a soft and combustible material arranged in'the-cap and betweenthe fuse and explosive and sealing the vent of the* fuse and the mouth of the cap.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit WESLEY E. INGRAM. Witnesses: l.

. WM. E. KEMM, Trros. WHITE. 

